According to National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 2005-06 over 67 per cent females between the age 15 to 19 years and 70 per cent of 15 to 49 years of Jharkhand are anaemic making it the highest in India. Despite this fact, majority of girls and women in the State avoid taking iron folic acid (IFA) tablets from anganwadi centres due to misconceptions, claims a recent survey of United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF). As a result, malnutrition is rising among females who in turn are giving birth to low weight babies.
“The black stool produced after taking IFA tablets has created a fear among the females that they will give birth to ‘black complexion’ babies. Taking IFA regularly benefits ladies as they deliver health babies but many take it otherwise and presume that they will have over- weight babies. All these misconceptions had made it difficult to utilize the adequate amount of IFA tablets provided to all the anganwadis in the state,” Jharkhand UNICEF head Job Zachariah said.
Zachariah mentioned that this increasing anaemia cases is affecting the economic development of the State. He said, “Jharkhand is losing a Gross Domestic Product of Rs 5000 crores because of this problem.” Notably, these ladies are suggested to take one IFA tablet once a week. “As about 50 IFA tablets must be taken by anaemic ladies yearly. last year there was a deficiency of these tablets in the anganwadis but this year there is adequate supply. People are still not coming forward to take these tablets. All possible efforts to eradicate the psychological misconceptions have gone in vain,” added Job.
Noticing this complication, Jharkhand government in 2013 had launched ‘Jeevan Asha’ (Hope for life) Programme, first of its kind in India on community based management of severe acute malnutrition aiming to establish community based management of severe and acute malnutrition. The country’s only such programme is designed to pinpoint Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) affected children below five years of age. It focuses on establishing a continuum of care for preventing and treating SAM. Job said, “There are around two to three Malnutrition Treatment Centres in all the districts of Jharkhand but the above mentioned myths have made it difficult to ensure proper growth facilities to the babies.”
The issue was highlighted by UNICEF on the occasion of International Girl Child Day on Friday. Vikas Bharti on the other hand marked the occasion by felicitating seven tribal girls residing in interior areas of the State.